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TeltronicTIMES

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BEYOND TETRA

Canary Islands
Teltronic reaches the summit

Teide Volcano
Canary Islands - Spain
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TeltronicTImes
Editor’s Message:
Welcome to the most recent edition of
Teltronic Times – Beyond TETRA. As
2010 progresses, in spite of the difficult
economic climate within the European
Union, we are witnessing signs of growth
in the wider global economy, which will
hopefully feed into increased orders for
digital mobile radio communications
equipment from both government
and private users. Fortunately, it has
been another year of strong results for
TELTRONIC as we continue to reach
new markets and market segments with
continually updated, thoroughly modern
solutions. In this latest edition, the
reader will find up-to-date information
on a wide range of geographical and
vertical markets. We have fresh articles
covering Spain, North America, Latin
America and Asia-Pacific, as well as a
special feature on the Utilities sector,
where data is becoming increasingly
important in everyday operations. We
focus on another first for TELTRONIC
providing TETRA services via satellite
for emergency relief efforts following
the tragedy caused by the powerful
earthquake and subsequent tsunami
in Haiti, and also look at how TETRA is
being integrated with complementary
technologies to provide the services of
the future today. As the world searches
for new, peaceful, energy-efficient paths
to prosperity, TELTRONIC continues
investing in a better future based on
secure, powerful, user-friendly mobile
communications.
Peter Clemons
Director of Communications
& Chief Editor, Teltronic
2 3
Contents
2 Editor’s Message
Peter Clemons welcomes readers to another edition of Teltronic
Times, at a time of mixed messages in the global economy.
However, the good news is that TELTRONIC continues to post
strong results and reach new markets and market segments
3 TELTRONIC continues to grow and invest heavily in
future solutions
Teltronic’s Chief Executive Officer, Juan Ferro, reflects on a
profitable year for TELTRONIC as the company posts strong
results for 2009 and continues investing in the future of global
professional communications
4 PowerTrunk stands out in North America
Teltronic’s Chief Marketing & Sales Officer and Executive Vice-
President & COO of PowerTrunk, Jose Manuel Martin updates
Teltronic Times’ readers on the significant progress made by
PowerTrunk in the North American over the past 12 months and
looks forward to even better news in the coming months
6 TELTRONIC takes control of the Spanish TETRA market
Spain – TELTRONIC’s home market - has one of the highest
numbers of TETRA networks anywhere in the world. In recent
months, TELTRONIC has continued growing its market share with
a number of significant contract awards, including the Canary
Islands
7 Asia-Pacific – TELTRONIC’s fastest growing region
Having chosen Singapore as its venue, the TETRA World Congress
returns to Asia in 2010 following the highly successful 2008
event held in Hong Kong. During this 2-year hiatus, TELTRONIC
has turned the Asia-Pacific region into one of its more vibrant
markets
8 TETRA helps out in Haiti
When a powerful earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, with
such tragic consequences, TELTRONIC allowed the Venezuelan
relief effort to take advantage of their home TETRA network via
a satellite link from the central node in Caracas to a remote base
station and control centre in Port-au-Prince
10 TETRA now the technology of choice in Latin America
Mexico Metro and Neuquen Regional Government are two
excellent examples of a clear trend in recent years in Latin
American professional communications towards the adoption of
TETRA solutions from the undisputed market leader in the region,
TELTRONIC
12 The future of mission-critical communications
TETRA must integrate with a wide range of fixed, mobile and IT
networks to provide total communications for mission-critical
users. As well as developing a complete, Ethernet/IP-based
TETRA solution, TELTRONIC also provides state-of-the-art Control
Centre (CeCoCo) technology and a multi-bearer vehicle console
(MVC 6000) for the seamless integration of complementary
technologies
14 Utility companies energised by TETRA
The global energy sector is on the verge of major operational
and technological changes caused by greater competition; rising
energy costs; fluctuating fuel prices; climate change, renewable
sources of energy and the imminent switch to smart-metering.
TETRA has a role to play in this process of change.
15 Teltronic Days @ 2010
TELTRONIC is holding a series of events around the world during
2010 to highlight its leadership and innovation in professional
mobile communications technology and services. We welcome
you to join us at your local event to find out the very latest
about TELTRONIC, TETRA and related/emerging technologies
and how they can enhance your organisation’s efficiency and
competitiveness.
beyond Tetra
TELTRONIC continues to grow and
invest heavily in future solutions
Teltronic’s Chief Executive Officer, Juan Ferro, reflects on a profitable year for TELTRONIC as the
company posts strong results for 2009 and continues investing in the future of global professional
communications.
TELTRONIC posted strong operational and financial results during 2009, guaranteeing that the company
remained highly profitable throughout the global financial and economic crisis. TELTRONIC has also
maintained its high levels of investment in R&D – which are critical to its continued success in global
markets – without the need to reduce staff levels. In fact, in some areas, TELTRONIC is actually looking
to hire more staff during 2010 as it strengthens its position in the global PMR market.
Globally, TELTRONIC’s sales are becoming increasingly more geographically diverse. TELTRONIC
remains the absolute leader in the Latin American TETRA market and business is growing very fast
in the highly lucrative Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. Perhaps more importantly, TELTRONIC is
now delivering large-scale, multi-node, regional TETRA networks of well over 150 sites, allowing it to
compete successfully with large manufacturers for major contracts.
TELTRONIC is the only global PMR player to keep total in-house control over the development and
manufacture of a complete range of products and services. This allows us to react much more quickly
to individual customers’ needs as well as differentiating our products to adapt to changing and
challenging market conditions and stay one step ahead of our competitors. TELTRONIC produces
its own Ethernet/IP-based infrastructure, high-power fixed units, mobiles and hand-portables, radio
modems, integrated control centres and optimised data applications. We have also been growing
our market share in Transport for a number of years with customised, specialised solutions for mass-
transit systems around the world.
Having recently received type approval for our equipment from FCC and Industry Canada, TELTRONIC
is committed to opening up the North American market to TETRA through our subsidiary, PowerTrunk.
We have also developed a P25 line of products – using the same hardware platform as our proven
TETRA solution - to offer the public safety community in USA, Canada and potentially other markets.
My colleague, Jose Manuel Martin, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at TELTRONIC and Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer, PowerTrunk, explains the current situation in the North American
market in a separate article.
TELTRONIC continues to invest heavily in the next generation of professional communications which
will see TETRA fully integrated with existing and emerging wideband and broadband technologies.
We are also developing solutions for new market segments such as utilities and operators as well as
supporting the TETRA Association’s global promotional efforts and regional events. TELTRONIC is
also holding a number of its own Teltronic Days events during 2010. You can find out more information
about these events on p.15 and at our web-site; www.teltronic.es.
TELTRONIC has emerged from 2009 - and the prolonged global financial crisis - in a much stronger
financial and technological position than ever before. This will allow us to take advantage of the new
challenges and opportunities facing the global PMR market during this new decade, across all continents
and all market sectors. Everyone at TELTRONIC looks forward to sharing these new opportunities
with our existing and future customers as we move beyond the TETRA technology towards the next
generation of integrated technologies, with TETRA still very much at the core.
Juan Ferro
Chief Executive Officer
Teltronic
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PowerTrunk Stands Out in
North America
Last year I told you about the start-up of
TELTRONIC’s US branch PowerTrunk. One year
on, I am proud to announce that it has already
become a well known brand with a clear message.
PowerTrunk’s multi-technology platform capable
of migrating to 6.25 kHz-equivalent systems along
with the remarkable steps taken in the field of FCC
and Industry Canada type acceptance for TETRA
are key landmarks which I am sure will influence
the American land mobile radio market over the
coming years.
As TELTRONIC has continued to notch up successes
as outstanding as the Canary Islands TETRA
network, PowerTrunk has emerged as the breath
of fresh air that many were waiting for in North
America. Our customers in the US and Canada now
have access to well engineered solutions based
on a solid range of standards. FDMA P25 Phase
1, soon to be succeeded by the upcoming 2-slot
TDMA P25 Phase 2 (PowerTrunk25), along with
our American version of TETRA (PowerTrunk-T),
complementary WiMAX equipment and
comprehensive dispatching platform CeCoCo, are
powerful tools for both our engineering partners
and end users.
“PowerTrunk holds both FCC
and Industry Canada type
acceptance for TETRA”
Regarding the availability of TETRA equipment
in North America, PowerTrunk has managed
to achieve more than any other company so
far. Since the existing regulations in the US and
Canada involve making every radio equipment
compliant with the applicable emission masks
and occupied bandwidth limits, and such masks
and limits are slightly narrower than required,
PowerTrunk has designed a minor modification
by way of reducing the modulation roll-off factor
from 0.35 (standard value) to 0.2, while all other
parameters and protocols are kept unchanged.
Today PowerTrunk holds both FCC and Industry
Canada type acceptance for PowerTrunk-T in 450-
470 MHz and 800 MHz as well as for PowerTrunk
HTT-500 hand-portable in 409-470 MHz. Recent
trials carried out in Canada with the participation
of Sepura have shown that the aforementioned
4 5
modification involves no loss of performance
while allowing us to comply with Industry Canada
and FCC regulations. Since type acceptance is the
only legal requirement to sell in North America,
the door is now open to TETRA.
Standardization is of course an issue, but
sometimes one has to move forward anyway
when there is no other way or when someone
is particularly interested in blocking progress to
protect a monopoly interest. PowerTrunk supports
the TETRA Association in its request for a waiver
which would allow TETRA to be accepted by
the FCC without modifications. Since TETRA
is deployed today in more than one hundred
countries and no interference issues have been
reported so far, it is obvious that the nearly
unanimous opposition from American industry
associations to the TETRA Association’s request
may have been carefully orchestrated so that
TETRA remains unavailable in North America.
Therefore, if American associations are concerned
about the potential interference caused by TETRA,
it seems very reasonable to implement a slight
modification, as PowerTrunk has done, so we
expect to receive their support at some point in the
future in order for an American version of TETRA
to be approved in the near future.
Intellectual property rights also enter the equation
as some holders have announced that they may
not grant licences because “TETRA cannot obtain
type acceptance” in North America. In June
2009 at the UTC show in Las Vegas, a Motorola
spokesman said that they would grant a licence
when type acceptance was obtained. However,
some months later, when PowerTrunk received
the certificates from FCC, another spokesman
backtracked and declared to the prestigious
Radio Resource Magazine that “type acceptance
is not the only consideration for TETRA in North
America” (forgetting to specify what other
considerations he meant). In view of this situation,
PowerTrunk has asked the IPR holders themselves
in writing to declare those patents which might
have been registered in the US and Canada which
they believe may be relevant to the installation
of TETRA technology (whether or not they have
been declared to ETSI as essential). Since no
response has so far been received, PowerTrunk
has announced that it shall commercialise its
beyond Tetra
TETRA-based range in North America based
on the existing type acceptance from FCC and
Industry Canada.
PowerTrunk’s willingness to make advanced
applications available to American users is very
strong, especially in the case of Utilities and
Transport companies. Automatic Vehicle Location
(AVL), including GIS facilities and dispatching
systems, is now common for our customers in the
field of buses and trams. The Metro and railway
sectors have also become strategic segments
for TETRA. Telemetry and remote command and
control along with advanced voice dispatching
systems are now becoming standard as TELTRONIC
is supplying thes services to an increasing number
of engineering companies and train makers such
as ALSTOM, CAF, SIEMENS, T-SYSTEMS, EFACEC,
IKUSI or ETRA, among others, and also due to
the successful integration of SCADA systems
into TETRA networks for a number of Utilities
which will soon be disclosed. Regarding railways,
PowerTrunk and its mother company TELTRONIC
are actively supporting the activities of the TETRA
Rail Forum which intends to promote the use
of TETRA as a replacement to GSM-R, an older
and less efficient technology which has taken
advantage of its being standardised as mandatory
through European directives. However, the short
life cycle of telecommunication technologies and
the slow deployment of GSM-R in Europe have
made TETRA a clear alternative due to greater
economies and superior performance.
PowerTrunk believes fully in P25 solutions for
Public Safety and Security (PSS) users, which is
why we have developed our multi-technology
platform. Phase 1 and Phase 2 allow Simulcast
to be addressed based on solid and flexible
modulation schemes, while offering new data
communication capabilities. These features
are particularly important in territories where
congestion is an issue due to high spectrum
usage. PowerTrunk is fully committed to offering
P25 infrastructures which are hardware-ready to
migrate to Phase 2, partnering with outstanding
P25 subscriber equipment vendors.
I look forward to getting in touch with you again
next year to communicate even more significant
steps forward and PowerTrunk success stories in
North America.
Jose Manuel Martin
Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Teltronic
Executive Vice President & COO, PowerTrunk
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TELTRONIC takes control of the Spanish TETRA
market
In the previous edition of Teltronic Times, we mentioned that Spain – TELTRONIC’s home market - has one of
the highest numbers of TETRA networks anywhere in the world. In recent months, TELTRONIC has continued
growing its market share with a number of significant contract awards, including the Canary Islands
As the years go by, TELTRONIC has continued to
strengthen its TETRA business by launching new
products and services for a wider range of customers.
TELTRONIC now has one of the most diverse customer
bases of any TETRA manufacturer, supplying to a wide
variety of geographical and vertical markets. However,
in spite of its global reach, the company is still winning
major contracts in its home market, Spain.
TELTRONIC had a number of early successes in the
Spanish transport sector, delivering high-quality voice
and data solutions for buses, Metros and trams. The
company developed special on-board units for a
number of Metro systems including several hundred
units for Madrid Metro. TELTRONIC equipment is also
visible on Metro and light rail networks in Valencia,
Alicante, Mallorca, Tenerife and Parla. But probably
TELTRONIC’s greatest TETRA challenge in the
transport sector is taking place far below the ground
in Barcelona.
Having supplied one of its earliest TETRA solutions for
Barcelona Buses, which is now using advanced AVL/
GPS optimization techniques to handle large amounts
of data traffic over its network, TELTRONIC has now
moved on to supply a total TETRA radio network for the
Barcelona Metro Line 9 currently under construction,
which will be one of Europe’s longest and deepest
lines upon completion.
TELTRONIC’s TETRA offering is constantly evolving as
customers trust the total solutions provider with larger
scale networks of greater complexity and functionality.
Apart from transport applications, TELTRONIC is now
delivering large, multi-node, wide-area, regional, fully
integrated systems
Public safety is one of the key TETRA markets.
TELTRONIC is leading the way in this market segment
in Spain. Building on the successful deployment of
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a 140-site network for Itelazpi in the Basque Country
during 2009, TELTRONIC has been chosen by both the
Canary Islands and City of Ceuta Governments to build
fully redundant TETRA networks for regional networks.
Long-standing TELTRONIC customer, Zaragoza City
Council has also installed next-generation, multi-
technology vehicle consoles for the Local Police, which
will increase efficiency and provide access to services
that were previously out of reach of the average public
safety user.
In recent months, TELTRONIC, together with partners
TECNICAS COMPETITIVAS and SAMPOL, has
supplied a single, unified, digital mobile radio (TETRA)
communications network for the Canary Islands
Government Public Safety and Emergency Services
across the archipielago’s seven main islands. Multiple
agencies, including CECOES 1-1-2, Ambulance, Health
Centres, Local Police, Environmental Agencies, Fire
Brigade, Civil Protection etc. will have permanent,
guaranteed access to a virtual, private voice and data
radio communications network for coordinating daily
and emergency operations.
During 2009, TELTRONIC supplied a fully redundant,
6-site TETRA solution for the Autonomous City
of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African
mainland, which will guarantee the radio coverage
and traffic needs of its Emergency and Security Public
Services.
It is also important to mention that TELTRONIC is in
the process of bringing to market a multi-technology,
narrowband voice and data (TETRA) and broadband
data (UMTS, Mobile WiMAX) solution via a single
interface: a console installed in emergency vehicles,
already being used by Zaragoza Police. More about
this solution can be found in the article explaining how
TETRA can be integrated with other technologies later
in Teltronic Times.
Attendees at this year’s TETRA World Congress being
held in Singapore will have the opportunity to listen to
case studies from all three of these Spanish networks:
Canary lslands, City of Ceuta and Zaragoza Police.
TELTRONIC is rightly proud of its status as a global
TETRA player. However, it is always important for
all manufacturers to create a vibrant home market
for developing new services and applications and
providing employment and economic prosperity for
the local community. It is also a clear advantage for
potential Spanish customers to know that there is a
major TETRA player on their doorstep who can provide
the perfect, advanced solution to their communications
needs.
Asia-Pacific – TELTRONIC’s fastest growing
region
Having chosen Singapore as its venue, the TETRA World Congress returns to Asia in 2010 following the highly
successful 2008 event held in Hong Kong. During this 2-year hiatus, TELTRONIC has turned the Asia-Pacific
region into one of its more vibrant markets
The TETRA World Congress being held in Singapore
during May provides the perfect backdrop to one of the
most important success stories in the TETRA industry
in recent times. Having started out back in the 1990s as
an essentially European standard, TETRA enters a new
decade in better shape and with a more promising
future than ever, as a truly global standard. As Asia
develops into the world’s economic power-house
and home of numerous technological innovations, it
is clear that the TETRA trade is now booming across
the region after years of steady growth. Having set
up its Asia-Pacific office in Singapore itself back in
2007, TELTRONIC’s TETRA business across this vast
continent is accelerating at an astonishing pace,
making it the company’s fastest growing market, now
rivalling and threatening to outstrip the traditional,
well-seated revenues still being achieved in Europe
and Latin America.
Asia is home to around 4 billion people, 60% of the
Earth’s total human population. Japan’s rise as an
economic power after the Second World War is now
being matched by the world’s two most populated
nations – China and India – which is also leading to
increased economic and financial activity in a wide
range of Asian states. In an increasingly interconnected
world, communications and security rise towards the
top of major issues discussed by Government officials,
business leaders and the population at large. As the
world’s leading secure communications technology,
TETRA has been forcing its way onto the agenda
of the majority of the region’s public safety and
communications authorities.
Back in the 2008 edition of Teltronic Times, we
showcased early TELTRONIC successes from Malaysia,
South Korea and Australia in industry segments such
as ports and mining. Since then, TELTRONIC has sold
TETRA equipment in over a dozen Asian markets
beyond Tetra
including China, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam,
Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand
and others, which we are unable to specify for reasons
of security and confidentiality.
Some recent TELTRONIC success stories in the Asia-
Pacific region are:
• The new 135,000-spectator, Ocean and Marina-based
Formula 1 circuit being completed in Yeongam county,
South Jeolla province, South Korea, 400 kilometres
south of Seoul in time for the inaugural Grand Prix
in October 2010 has installed a TELTRONIC NEBULA
TETRA solution.
• Incheon Police in Greater Seoul, South Korea has
updated and extended the TELTRONIC TETRA network
in order to handle the G20 summit which will be held
in the city, which is the second largest in South Korea,
hosting the third largest airport in Asia in terms of
traffic.
• TELTRONIC has supplied specialised on-board
TETRA equipment for the Taipei Metro, Taiwan, which
is now working aboard Japanese-built locomotives.
TELTRONIC is also hosting several, special Teltronic
Day events across the region during 2010. Events have
already been held in Queensland, Australia and Hanoi,
Vietnam. Potential customers and industry experts
interested in finding out more about TELTRONIC’s
products, services and future plans for professional
mobile communications can visit the web-site, www.
teltronic.es, to find upcoming events in their particular
part of the world.
TELTRONIC will also have its largest presence ever
at this year’s TETRA World Congress being held at
the Suntec Singapore International Convention and
Exhibition Centre. Visitors will be able to find out more
about the very latest developments within TETRA by
visiting the increasingly spectacular exhibitor stands
and attending the informative conference streams.
TELTRONIC looks forward to continuing its tradition
of providing the very best hospitality on stand A301,
as well as offering the highest quality products and
services and best value for money within the TETRA
industry to our Asian customers.
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TeltronicTImes beyond Tetra

TETRA helps out in Haiti
When a powerful earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, with such tragic consequences, the international
community responded quickly. TELTRONIC allowed the Venezuelan relief effort to take advantage of their home
TETRA network via a satellite link from the central node located in Caracas to a remote base station and control
centre set up in Port-au-Prince.
Already, on several occasions so far during 2010,
Nature’s immense power and extraordinary
unpredictability have affected the lives and hopes
of millions of people around the globe. As public
safety organizations gear up to cope with ever
increasing incidents of crime, accidents and
terrorist activity, it is a sobering thought that the
greatest threat of all still comes from the hidden
forces within the very Earth we all inhabit and
depend upon for the sustenance of life.
The country of Haiti, suffering from decades of
chronic unemployment and severe deforestation,
perched on the western side of the historical,
Caribbean island of Hispaniola, is the Americas’
poorest nation. Since a violent revolt took place
in 2004, the United Nations Stabilization Mission,
composed almost entirely from Latin American
armed forces, has been a constant presence,
controlling unrest and attempting to generate the
conditions for the re-building of Haitian institutions
and a return to normality, hopefully leading to
badly needed economic growth.
However, on the afternoon of January 12, 2010, all
these hopes were dashed by a massive earthquake
that struck Haiti, changing the landscape forever.
Measuring just over 7 on the Richter Scale and with
its epicenter barely 20 kilometres from the centre
of the country’s crowded capital, Port-au-Prince,
the earthquake affected 3 million people (30% of
the total population), leaving 1 million homeless
and perhaps as many as 200,000 people dead,
including many foreign officials and aid workers.
Heightening the panic and despair, as many as 52
aftershocks were felt in the fortnight following the
initial tremor.
The aid effort from the international community
began almost immediately as the full extent of
the horror became apparent. The Venezuelan
government was one of the first to respond. On
the morning following the disaster, it sent its first
aid team consisting of doctors, engineers, search
and rescue and Civil Protection personnel.
The ability to communicate during a crisis is
vital. Even before the earthquake struck, Haiti
had a very poorly developed fixed telephony
and emergency mobile radio communications
infrastructure. It soon became clear on the
ground in Haiti, that virtually all existing forms of
communications had been destroyed, requiring
alternative plans to be put into place as soon as
possible. The Venezuelan Government already
had its own TETRA (NEBULA) network solution
provided by TELTRONIC for emergency situations
within Venezuelan territory. Would it be possible in
any way to take advantage of this TETRA network
on an overseas mission? Could a TETRA over
satellite solution be implemented using VSAT
technology?
VSAT networks are relatively low-cost, private data
satellite communications networks requiring fairly
small dish antennas approximately 1.3 metres in
diameter. Direct links can be set up from one VSAT
to another with a time delay of 250 ms., or more
commonly through an Earth hub with delays of 500
ms. In the case of public safety and mission-critical
communications, a VSAT connection can provide
centralized management of communications in
those places where no terrestrial links exist. For
example, border posts; catastrophe scenarios
like Haiti; military actions or forest brigades,
mountain rescue etc. in difficult terrain with limited
coverage.
To develop a team to use its own
TETRA over
VSAT solution, it
is critical to take
into account the
significant delays
introduced by
the VSAT link
between the
TETRA system’s
central node and
the remote base
stations. TETRA
call set-up times
are normally less
than 250 ms.,
but this becomes
p h y s i c a l l y
impossible in the case of satellite links due to the
distances involved. The right system design is
the key to being able to develop a solution with
the minimum delay possible, keeping this down
to around 1 second so that it is still possible to
carry out fluid conversations. Fortunately in this
case, TELTRONIC’s NEBULA has a number of key
design features that makes it particularly suited to
TETRA over satellite deployment – the main ones
are explained here:
• The base stations must be able to implement
the full layer 2 of the TETRA standard. NEBULA
allows this, including powerful processors in the
carriers to allow a fast response to signalling.
• The connection between the system controller
and base stations must also be asynchronous.
Fortunately, NEBULA permits asynchronous
links as it is developed with a distributed packet
switching matrix to connect up its elements.
• Bandwidth optimization is required to transport
voice around data networks. NEBULA uses special
compression protocols over Ethernet/IP.
• It is also possible to establish VSAT links in
different points of the NEBULA topology in order
to connect up both remote base stations and
remote control centres.
Based on the above criteria, taking advantage
of NEBULA’s superior network architecture,
TELTRONIC developed a TETRA over VSAT solution
for the Venezuelan Government that allowed
the Venezuelan Haiti
earthquake response
TETRA radios during
aid operations in
Port-au-Prince. A
transportable base
station (see photo)
was sent to the camp
in Haiti and connected
via satellite to the
central node (SCN) in
Venezuela. Following
successful trials, fluid
communications
have been taking
place over the link
since early February,
with maximum
delays in call set-up
times of just over a second - quite remarkable
under the circumstances.
A TETRA over satellite solution has lots of
possible applications as we have mentioned
above. As authorities build out a new, wide-
area TETRA network, a TETRA VSAT solution
could be available temporarily to be deployed
in remote areas beyond the edge of existing
coverage; the solution could also provide extra
capacity in an area with existing TETRA coverage
in times of emergency. VSAT could also provide
a redundant link if the main link is lost. As Haiti
slowly recovers from the events of January, the
key role of emergency communications has been
highlighted once again, and TETRA is proud to be
part of the solution.

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TETRA now the technology of choice in Latin
America
Mexico Metro and Neuquen Regional Government are two excellent examples of a clear trend in recent years
in Latin American professional communications towards the adoption of TETRA solutions from the undisputed
market leader in the region, TELTRONIC
TELTRONIC has had a presence in Latin America
since the 1990s when it opened its first office
in Sao Paulo, Brazil. More than a decade later,
TELTRONIC has become the clear market leader
in TETRA technology across the region, with as
many as 30 systems deployed from Mexico down
to Argentina, via Central America, Venezuela,
Colombia, Brazil, Chile… for public safety,
transport, utilities, industry, oil & gas, PAMR…
While others doubted the success of TETRA in the
Latin American market, TELTRONIC quietly built
up support for the standard across the continent,
creating a vibrant user community and developing
special features above and beyond the TETRA
technology to enhance its functionality, resilience
and coverage for the benefit of local customers.
In this article, we focus on two very different users
from opposite ends of the continent and radically
different operational environments: Mexico Metro
and Neuquen Regional Government, Argentina;
who are both using TELTRONIC’s TETRA offering
as an integral, critical part of their communications
systems to protect millions of citizens and cater
for millions of customers.
Mexico City is one of the world’s most populated
cities with latest estimates showing as many as 20
million inhabitants, who all need to move around
freely in order to carry out their daily activities. On
of the city’s principal modes of transport, Mexico
Metro, has now been operating continuously for
over 40 years, with some 360 trains running over
200 kilometres of track serving 175 stations across
10
beyond Tetra
TELTRONIC’s NEBULA, CeCoCo and terminal
solutions are at the heart of Line B’s integrated
units equipped with TETRA technology, video
surveillance and the latest AFIS (finger-printing)
communications, improving security and
efficiency throughout the transport network and
solutions connected via TETRA to data bases for
real-time identification.
satisfying the Metro’s requirements for many
years to come. The results from SISPAE have been dramatic, with
an overall reduction in crime across Neuquen,
Neuquen Province is very, very different to a larger proportion of crimes solved, improved
11 lines. It is the largest mass-transit system in
Mexico City. Located in western Argentina, under response times and increased satisfaction in the
the whole of Latin America, ranked fourth on
the shadow of the Andes and at the northern police force by the general population, who also
the whole planet in numbers of passengers after
tip of Patagonia, the whole province is home to now feel more secure as a result of the project.
Moscow, Tokyo and New York with as many as
barely half a million people. It is amazing to think Here we see the real, tangible benefits of TETRA
7 million trips undertaken daily throughout the
that the same underlying radio communications improving the quality of life of real people.
network.
technology – TELTRONIC NEBULA (TETRA) –
could play the same important role here as it does The above two customers – Mexico Metro and
Mexico Metro Line B was inaugurated in two
in such a densely populated metropolis. Neuquen Regional Government - are examples
stages in 1999 and 2000, and now carries over
of a larger phenomenon which has spread across
400,000 passengers each working day along
The forward-looking Neuquen Regional the Latin American continent. Whether it be
elevated, ground-level and underground track
Government created a vision of a professional Civil Protection and public safety in Venezuela;
through 21 stations. The original communications
public safety agency using state-of-the-art transport in Colombia; public safety, transport,
system was already suffering from obsolescence
technology based on open standards integrated utilities, industry and PAMR in Brazil; oil & gas
when TELTRONIC was asked to upgrade the
into a solution including the full range of voice, in Argentina; transport in Chile; TELTRONIC’s
network with a modern TETRA solution.
data, video and multimedia services. This new customers trust TETRA and use it in the harshest
system, denominated SISPAE (Public Safety environments to provide security, privacy and
and Emergency Answering Integrated System connectivity to its users serving the population
in English) - which has now been fully deployed at large. The road has sometimes been long and
across the province - has an Ethernet/IP-based hard, but we are very proud to be able to say that
TETRA system supplied by TELTRONIC together TETRA is now the mission-critical communications
with its partner, Daxa Argentina, as its core running technology of choice in Latin America.
over an IP integrated backbone.
Nahum Leal, Transport Director, Mexico City
Collective Transport System (STC Metro) and Diego
Dominguez, Director – Solutions & Projects, Daxa
Argentina will both be presenting case studies
highlighting the successful implementation of
TELTRONIC TETRA solutions in Mexico Metro
and Neuquen Regional Government at this year’s
Line B now boasts the most up-to-date
TETRA World Congress being held in Singapore
communications solution available on the market
from May 25-27.
with the installation of new, specialized on-board
equipment in train cabins, a radio management
system combined with a modern, integrated
Control & Communications Centre, hand-held
radios for operations and maintenance and
integration with underground radiant cables.
Increased driver and passenger security has
A number of the 33 radio-sites spread out across
been guaranteed with the implementation of an
the province are deployed at altitude in freezing
emergency call facility.
conditions up in the Andes mountains, requiring
high levels of resilience and remote maintenance
to keep critical communications working through
the harshest winters. A modern Call Taking &
Dispatching Emergency Centre attends the public
using the latest CeCoCo technology described
elsewhere in Teltronic Times. The fully integrated
solution also includes fast, mobile deployment
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TeltronicTImes
The future of mission-critical communications:
Integrating TETRA with complementary
technologies
TETRA must integrate with a wide range of fixed, mobile and IT networks to provide total communications for
mission-critical users. As well as developing a complete, Ethernet/IP-based TETRA solution, TELTRONIC also
provides state-of-the-art Control Centre (CeCoCo) technology and a multi-bearer vehicle console (MVC 6000) for
the seamless integration of complementary technologies
Back in the 1970s when TELTRONIC set up
its business, in those bygone days before
standardization, each emergency service, public
authority or business organization procured its own
mobile radio system designed by a manufacturer
to fit the needs of each user. Upgrades, add-
ons and special services such as data became
increasingly expensive and it soon became
clear that another model was needed for mobile
communications. The extraordinary advance of
mobile communications during the 1990s changed
the landscape forever and standardization quickly
became the industry norm.
Following the same successful model adopted by
ETSI’s GSM standard for the global mass market
during the mid- to late 1990s, TETRA moved into
the professional communications space, buoyed
by important frequency assignments in the UHF
band both for nationwide public safety networks
in the 380-400 MHz band and for commercial use
in the 410-430 MHz band. The rich portfolio of
voice and data services, the development of open
interfaces supported by a strict interoperability
regime and the range of products and applications
developed by dozens of suppliers created a
winning formula taken up by hundreds of small,
medium and large organizations around the
world.
In 2010, it is clear that the mobile communications
landscape is very different to the one contemplated
when TETRA was first devised around 20 years
ago. A number of legacy analogue and proprietary
digital PMR technologies still exist and other digital
standards such as P25 and DMR are emerging to
compete with TETRA in certain geographical and
vertical markets around the world. TETRA users
also need to communicate with commercial voice
and data networks – fixed telephony, GSM/3G,
12
the Internet and Intranets – and will increasingly
need to integrate with next-generation fixed and
mobile networks such as WiMAX and LTE to
deliver services.
Public safety entities rely on their own private
communications networks. TETRA offers them
security, privacy and high levels of reliability
(close to 100%). However, in order to function
in an information-driven society, modern PMR
networks must have sufficient capacity and
connectivity to be able to interact with the full
range of communications solutions on the
market; past, present and future. Modern TETRA
networks, such as those based on TELTRONIC’s
Ethernet/IP-based solution, allow users to design
the most adequate communications plans for all
possible scenarios, including integration with all
other conceivable technologies to create seamless
solutions.
In the rest of this article, we look at 2 ways of
integrating TELTRONIC’s NEBULA (TETRA)
network with other technologies to offer a
complete, future-proof, mission-critical solution
which can be trusted to satisfy user needs for
many years to come:
(1) Control centres
(2) Multi-bearer vehicular consoles
Control Centres (CeCoCo suite):
As we explained in last year’s Teltronic Times,
TELTRONIC has developed a fully integrated
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) solution,
CeCoCo, which is much more than simply CAD.
Based on standard Ethernet/IP switching and
VoIP, a range of CeCoCo solutions, adapted
to the specific needs of different user groups,
allows TETRA to be fully integrated with all
other IT, telephony and data solutions. Dispatch
operators have access via a single interface to
the full range of communications; a Geographical
Information System (GIS) allows incidents to be
managed based on real-time location information
of all available resources and operators can also
input real-time data related to each incident as it
happens so that accurate and timely reports and
statistics can be produced automatically.
TELTRONIC now has implemented dozens of
CeCoCo solutions around the world. One of
the largest of these is in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil,
where 161 operator positions control a network
consisting of 2,500 TETRA terminals and 6,000
analogue terminals shared by a wide range of
emergency services. Zaragoza Local Police and
Fire Brigade also have a similar CeCoCo solution
incorporating CCTV and fixed radars.
Multi-bearer Vehicle Console (MVC 6000):
Narrowband solutions such as TETRA in its
current form cannot provide the full range of
services required by professional users during
the 21st century, as mobile broadband networks
are deployed to cater for a growing list of data-
hungry applications such as real-time video,
file downloads and multimedia. As we await
the development over the coming decade of a
proper broadband PMR solution, our vision for
the immediate future must consider the union
of TETRA with broadband technologies that are
currently being developed and deployed.
With this in mind, TELTRONIC has developed a
multi-bearer vehicle console (MVC 6000) that
integrates narrowband (i.e. TETRA) with wideband
and broadband technologies (3G, WiMAX etc.) in
a single user device.
beyond Tetra
If the vehicle is not within broadband coverage,
the console is able to access additional
communications networks such as 3G or WiFi to
transmit and receive data. Available services are
displayed on the screen using a refresh mechanism
via TETRA SDS (short data service). The touch-
screen console houses advanced applications
including web access, automatic updating of local
data-bases, e-mail, sat-nav, video and Control
Centre integration.
From early 2010, the MVC 6000 has already
been installed in police vehicles in Spain, clearly
demonstrating that this is a solution for today – in
fact, the most advanced, integrated PMR/TETRA
+ broadband solution available anywhere in the
world. Once again, TELTRONIC is leading the
way.
Final words
A future is rapidly approaching when TETRA will
be fully integrated with broadband technologies
such as WiMAX and LTE within a single high
capacity PMR network. Intelligent vehicular,
personal and remote, autonomous devices - such
as cameras, servers etc. – will roam freely and
communicate with each other and with devices
from other networks. The largest obstacles to
this vision of the future will be the availability of
frequencies and multi-vendor standardization,
which will slow down the process and lead to the
customary missed deadlines and delays. Once
these obstacles are overcome, the development
of a full range of innovative products will naturally
follow.
This new technology will need to be adapted to
a world that is more and more connected and
therefore, inevitably, more and more dangerous,
prone to increasingly sophisticated attacks.
TELTRONIC, working together with the rest of
the TETRA community, possesses the necessary
knowledge and experience to develop this new
generation of solutions.
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TeltronicTImes
Utility companies energised by TETRA
The global energy sector is on the verge of major operational and technological changes caused by greater
competition; rising energy costs and fluctuating fuel prices; the spectre of climate change and the hopes of
renewable sources of energy; combined with the imminent switch to smart-metering, allowing greater controls
over industrial and domestic usage via new technologies. TETRA has a role to play in this process of change.
Over the first decade of its deployment, Public
Safety and Transport have consistently made up
the bulk of TETRA contracts around the world.
In fact, the latest TETRA Association figures,
published during 2009, showed that Transport
(33%) had overtaken Public Safety (32%) for
the first time in numbers of deployed networks.
However, Utilities (10%) now appears third on
the list, with spectacular growth rates over the
past couple of years. We must therefore take a
closer look at trends within the energy sector to
find out why TETRA is becoming so attractive as a
communications tool for electricity companies.
Many utilities still operate analogue PMR networks,
often supplementing a chronic lack of capacity
and coverage with expensive service plans from
commercial operators, who, in turn, are unable to
provide the full range of required services. A lack of
integration of voice and data over a single network
is leading to higher operational and maintenance
costs; old technology and a lack of spectrum in
many geographical areas are restricting growth.
Proprietary technologies tie customers to a single
supplier and limited services; but companies are
faced with costly service disruptions while these
older technologies are replaced by newer ones.
Industry consolidation through mergers and
acquisitions, and increased competition are
driving energy companies to draw up a list of
new requirements that any new communications
system will have to meet. An upgrade to TETRA
technology, such as TELTRONIC’s NEBULA
solution, is the natural step forward from
traditional PMR systems such as MPT 1327,
which are still prevalent in the energy sector,
particularly in Europe. TETRA is a global standard,
which uses scarce spectrum more efficiently,
allows simultaneous voice and data, greater data
transmission capacity, increased security and
simplified connectivity to external networks and
applications such as PSTN, PABX, GSM, IP etc.
Temporary integration with legacy systems can
14
also be implemented as migration takes place in
order to guarantee continuity.
TELTRONIC has already implemented a network
solution for the Brazilian power utility, COELCE,
and extensive trials of TETRA technology have
been undertaken with potential customers in
Spain, Poland, North America and elsewhere.
The complete TELTRONIC TETRA package
available to utility companies offers significant
advantages over other TETRA solutions and other
technologies. For example:
• NEBULA permits up to 4 control channels at
each base station allowing increased capacity to
carry a greater number of short data messages
(SDS) around the network.
• NEBULA also supports circuit data, as well as
packet data, allowing the implementation of a wider
range of customized protocols by the customer
and greater flexibility in data transmission.
• Native Ethernet/IP interfaces between the
network switch and base stations allow customers
to use existing IP backbones, greatly reducing
costs for wide-area networks.
• TELTRONIC’s Synchronous Data Manager
(SDM) boosts the TETRA network, significantly
increasing capacity compared to normal solutions
for SDS-based or packet data polling and allowing
the increased use and faster refresh times for GPS,
telemetry, remote control applications.
• Wide-area coverage is also greatly improved
by the availability of increased RF power in base
stations (75W), mobiles (10W) and hand-portables
(3W).
It has been found that such an advanced
communications solution can dramatically reduce
total operating costs in the short-term for energy
companies by integrating disparate networks and
operational practices. Voice communications are
enhanced and protected; GPS positioning and
alarm control can allow power outages to be
detected and installations such as sub-stations to
be monitored effectively. Telemetry and remote
control applications can be managed at a lower
cost allowing a higher density of control and
protection units per coverage point.
Dramatic changes in the way the energy sector
is run will lead to an increased demand for data
communications as new applications such as
Smart-Metering come on-line. TELTRONIC’s TETRA
solutions are prepared for an early evolution to
broadband services which will facilitate this move
to a communications environment characterised
by massive leaps in the levels of data transmission.
The energy sector is about to get a lot smarter.
The smart money is on TETRA.
beyond Tetra
TELTRONIC Days @ 2010
TELTRONIC is holding a series of events around the world during 2010 to highlight its leadership and innovation
in professional mobile communications technology and services. We welcome you to join us at your local
event to find out the very latest about TELTRONIC, TETRA and related/emerging technologies and how they can
enhance your organisation’s efficiency and competitiveness.
TELTRONIC is the premier Spanish manufacturer of
critical communications equipment and provider
of a comprehensive set of products and services
for the full range of government and industry
sectors, particularly public safety institutions and
critical infrastructure companies. TELTRONIC
was founded in Zaragoza, Spain in 1974 and its
roots can still be found in the city by way of its
modern factory where all its solutions are still
manufactured. It now has a presence in over 30
markets around the world, including a dominant
position in TETRA in Latin America as well as a
growing presence across Asia-Pacific.
TELTRONIC DAYS are your opportunity to meet
and get to know us better, try out the full range of
our solutions and update your knowledge about
the present and future of professional mobile
communications.
TELTRONIC is one of a very select group of
companies world-wide who offer the full range TELTRONIC DAYS have already been held
in countries as diverse as Mexico, Australia,
of TETRA products from infrastructure and base
station equipment through to hand-held and Colombia, Venezuela and Vietnam during the early
months of 2010. Please go to www.teltronic.es to
mobile terminals and radio modems. TELTRONIC
also offers additional value-added services such find out more information about an upcoming
event close to you. We look forward to greeting
as integrated CAD and control centre solutions
and optimised data options. We understand you soon.
that each customer is unique so we tailor each
solution to your specific requirements, listening
and gathering as much information as possible in
order to provide total customer satisfaction.
The technological and business landscape is
constantly changing as we accelerate into the 21st
century. TELTRONIC is moving with the times,
staying at the forefront of technological innovation
in the professional communications space. As
the world emerges from a major financial and
economic upheaval, only those companies who
adapt to the new conditions can survive and
flourish over the coming years. TELTRONIC is well
placed to take advantage of this new business
environment.
15
 Advanced Solutions for
Mission Critical Communications

TETRA - P25 - Professional Mobile Broadband - CAD - Transport

Headquarters
Teltronic S.A. Unipersonal
P.I. Malpica c/F Oeste
50016 Zaragoza, SPAIN
T: +34 976 465656
F: +34 976 465720
cial@teltronic.es

www.teltronic.es